Amid Industry Winter, the 9th 'Maker China' Biopharma Innovation Competition Emerges as a Must-Attend Opportunity for Every Pharma Professional

This year, the healthcare industry’s theme remains “cold.”

Taking the primary market as an example, according to incomplete statistics from the Artery Orange database,In Q1 2024, China’s healthcare sector completed 243 financing deals, a year-on-year decrease of 44.5%.. The secondary market was even more dismal; according to publicly available information, as of May 29,This year, nearly 50 healthcare companies have successively “terminated” their IPOs, with fewer than 10 healthcare companies successfully listed to date.。

Behind these data,This means that everyone is having a tough time.Specifically, on the corporate side, companies face significant challenges in securing financing and going public. To survive, they must either tighten their belts or seek exit strategies. For investors, fundraising is difficult, and identifying high-quality projects is even more challenging. Therefore, they must continuously “go rural” or delve into “underwater” markets to uncover healthcare targets with genuine market value.

Therefore, for the entire healthcare industry, this is undoubtedly a challenging time, making communication and collaboration even more critical.The 9th “Maker China” Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in the Biopharmaceutical Sector (hereinafter referred to as the “Biopharmaceutical Special Competition”), which was officially launched at the end of April this year, has provided just such an opportunity.It is reported that the competition, hosted by the Information Center of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, will gather a cohort of biomedical projects with genuine innovative value and market potential. By engaging multiple listed companies and leading investment funds in deep collaboration, the initiative aims to jointly explore greater possibilities within the healthcare industry.

During the interview, the relevant officials in charge of the competition kept emphasizing to VCBeat, “This is not merely a competition; it serves primarily as a nationwide roadshow platform designed to facilitate financing and business development (BD) transactions for pharmaceutical companies and their projects.”

How so? Take financing as an example. It is reported that the “Biopharmaceutical Thematic Competition” has connected with over a hundred leading funds. In addition to market-oriented institutions, it also includes some industrial service platforms specializing in the pharmaceutical sector, such as one of the organizers of this competition.Bio-Island Industrial Incubation Service Platform, it has currently established strategic partnerships with over 100 leading and prominent investment and financing institutions in the industry. These partnerships will facilitate investments in high-quality biopharmaceutical companies and projects at various stages of their development cycles, covering investment stages from early seed and angel rounds through to Series C, Series D, and Pre-IPO rounds. These investment institutions will provide in-depth support to the competition and seek out excellent projects for collaboration.

Having discussed financing, we now turn our focus to the business development (BD) sector, which has in fact become a critical source of funding for biotech companies. According to statistics from the VCBeat Orange Database, BD-generated transaction revenue accounted for one-third of biotech firms’ external funding income globally in 2023. Amid the cooling of the primary market bubble for innovative drugs and tighter capital market issuance regulations, the surge in BD transactions appears to have opened new avenues for biotech companies burdened with heavy R&D pressures.

Therefore, in this "Biopharmaceutical Thematic Competition,"BD transactions are also given considerable importance, not only do we gather business development (BD) representatives from multiple listed companies to participate as an observation panel in the entire evaluation process of project pitches during each themed premium roadshow, thereby facilitating collaborations; furthermore, in numerous related forums, we also invite leading domestic and international biopharmaceutical companies and their BD leaders to engage deeply, fostering business partnerships with innovative and competitive biopharmaceutical projects.

In fact, this is of great significance. On the one hand, through mature market-oriented operations, while unlocking greater potential for pharmaceutical companies and their projects, it also opens up exit channels for some pharmaceutical enterprises. On the other hand, business development (BD) transactions will gradually increase the frequency of collaboration, mergers, and reorganizations among pharmaceutical companies, which will, to a certain extent, accelerate industry renewal and iteration.

In addition to facilitating transactions,Enhancing Industry Influence Through IP BuildingandEmpowerment Training to Enhance Core Competencies for Addressing ChallengesIt is also the core value proposition of this “Biopharmaceutical Special Competition.”

For instance, in terms of IP building. As is well known, “Maker China,” as a national-level competition, inherently possesses strong market influence and appeal, serving as a prestigious hallmark.Therefore, for numerous pharmaceutical companies and projects, participation essentially serves to broaden their industry visibility.Specifically, the event organizer will promote the brands of participating projects through multi-format and multi-dimensional content, including videos, tweets, and images. Meanwhile, it will collaborate with vertical media, local media outlets, and core industry-specific private domain channels to build a media matrix, thereby amplifying brand content for participating projects across multiple channels.

Taking vertical media as an example, it is reported that the “Biopharmaceutical Special Competition” has currently joined forces with several highly influential medical media outlets, including VCBeat, PharmaCircle, Tongxieyi, EBC Medical, and MedDevice Home, for joint promotion. The initiative aims to leverage platform influence to aggregate private-domain audiences and utilize private-domain traffic for precise dissemination.

Of course,“Precision” is reflected not only in brand building but also in empowering pharmaceutical companies and their projects.. In this “Biomedical Special Competition,” training was undoubtedly a major highlight, according to official materials.The competition will invite industry leaders to develop precise corporate training programs addressing market pain points and needs, thereby establishing a “Whampoa Military Academy for Biopharmaceuticals.”。

Specifically,The competition will offer four core courses—Core Competency, Management Capability, Professional Enhancement, and Development Potential—and invite authoritative mentors to provide specialized, systematic training for improvement.. Taking the Core Competency Course as an example, the competition has specially invited a professional team from Tsinghua University’s PBC School of Finance to provide in-depth training to participating companies and projects on financing strategies, equity structure, business development and partnerships, business model innovation, and IP building, thereby enhancing their core market competitiveness.

In addition, comprehensive and precise empowerment is also a key focus of this "Biopharmaceutical Thematic Competition." It is reported that the competition has currently established strategic collaborations with over 300 industrial resources, covering areas such as industrial parks, legal services, financial services, IPO coaching, and industrial informatization. These resources will be precisely matched to the actual development needs of participating projects. Taking Bio-Island Industrial Services as an example, it aims to build a full-lifecycle, end-to-end, and multi-dimensional industrial incubation service system for biopharmaceutical companies, platforms, hospitals, researchers, and physicians, spanning from idea incubation and clinical research to achievement transformation and regulatory approval for market launch.

In this regard, a representative from a pharmaceutical company that has successfully registered for the competition told VCBeat, “Amidst the market downturn, we hope to seize more industrial opportunities. Our willingness to participate in this biopharmaceutical competition stems largely from our belief that it is not merely a contest, but rather a form of cultivation.”Throughout the competition, it provides phased empowerment to participating projects, fostering their growth. After the competition concludes, precise support services and special awards are offered, which hold significant value for growing pharmaceutical companies like ours.。”

To date, the “Maker China” Biopharmaceutical SME Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition has entered its ninth year.A total of 4,525 projects have been selected to participate in the competition, among which nearly 20 biopharmaceutical projects have been shortlisted for the Top 500 in China over the past three years.. However, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Recruitment is still in full swing. To facilitate registration by interested enterprises, VCBeat has extracted key information about the competition.

1. The competition is open to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), maker teams, research institutions, and universities across China, seeking innovative projects in the biopharmaceutical sector. Eligible entries must be SMEs or startup projects operating in industries such as the biopharmaceutical industry, biomedical engineering, bio-agriculture and related sectors, biomass energy, other biological industries, and health and wellness.

2. The same enterprise shall not register the same or similar project repeatedly for regional competitions, thematic competitions, or overseas regional competitions. Projects that have ranked among the China Top 500 in the past three years are ineligible to participate. Enterprises or individuals listed on the list of dishonest entities are prohibited from participating. Participants found to have plagiarized others’ innovative achievements or obtained awards through other improper means will have their eligibility disqualified upon discovery.

Enterprise Group

1. Micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises registered within the territory of China that meet the criteria set forth in the Provisions on Standards for Classifying Small and Medium-sized Enterprises;

2. The participating project has entered the market and demonstrates strong growth potential;

3. Possess independent intellectual property rights with no disputes over ownership;

4. No adverse records.

Maker Group

1. Individuals or teams from universities and research institutes who abide by laws and regulations are eligible to participate; the same individual may not serve as a core member of multiple teams. The number of core team members listed on the award certificate shall, in principle, not exceed seven.

2. The creativity, products, technologies, and related intellectual property rights of the participating projects belong to the core team members, with no intellectual property disputes with other entities or individuals;

3. Corporate teams or corporate innovation projects are not eligible to participate in the Maker Category competition.

1. Registration: May–July, online registration via the open system;

2. Preliminary Round: In August, the top 100 participants nationwide will advance to the qualifying round;

3. Preliminary Round: In September, roadshows and defenses will be held across five major regions—South China, North China, East China, West China, and Central China—with participants attending the preliminary round based on the principle of proximity;

4. Finals: In September, the top 20 teams across China will compete through roadshows and defenses, with winners advancing to the “Maker China” National Finals in Nansha, Guangzhou.

In addition to the competition, the “Biopharmaceutical Special Track” features a series of thematic activities, including specialized training, roadshows, and resource matchmaking, providing participating projects with enhanced opportunities for capital engagement, resource connection, and self-improvement beyond the competitive aspect.

· Thematic Training: From June to November, tailored to corporate development needs; participating projects can join for free, with simultaneous online and offline sessions;

· Thematic Roadshows: June–November, conducted simultaneously online and offline, connecting investment institutions with corporate business development teams for one-on-one specialized matchmaking;

· Resource Matchmaking: From June to November, industry resource matchmaking sessions will be held during competitions, roadshows, and training programs.

Enterprise Group

First Prize (2 winners): Certificate of Award, trophy, a cash prize of RMB 80,000, project implementation award, and recommendation for inclusion in the shortlist for China’s Top 500 Enterprises Group.

Second Prize (3 winners): Award certificate, trophy, cash prize of RMB 30,000, project implementation reward, and recommendation for inclusion in the candidate list for China’s Top 500 Enterprises Group;

Third Prize (4 winners): Award certificate, trophy, cash prize of RMB 10,000, project implementation award, and recommendation for inclusion in the shortlist for China’s Top 500 Enterprises.

Excellence Awards (2 winners): Certificate of Award, trophy, project implementation incentive, and recommendation for inclusion in the national shortlist of China’s Top 500 Enterprises.

Maker Group

First Prize (2 winners): Certificate of Award, trophy, a cash prize of RMB 40,000, project implementation award, and recommendation for inclusion in the candidate list for the Top 100 National Makers Group;

Second Prize (3 winners): Certificate of Award, trophy, a cash prize of RMB 20,000, and project implementation incentive;

Third Prize (4 winners): Award certificate, trophy, a cash prize of RMB 10,000, and project implementation incentive.

1. Application for “Specialized, Refined, Differential, and Innovative” (SRDI) “Little Giant” Enterprises: Inclusion in the national top 50 list of the enterprise group at the “Maker China” SME Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition qualifies applicants for the fast-track innovation channel in the SRDI “Little Giant” application process.

2. Application for Specialized, Refined, Differential, and Innovative SMEs: Enterprises listed among the top 500 in the national “Maker China” SME Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition can receive direct pass-through evaluation points in the provincial application for Specialized, Refined, Differential, and Innovative SMEs.

3. Other Policy Incentives: Upon project implementation, the government will provide exclusive incentives for the biopharmaceutical industry, technology, and talent development.

Contestants, please log in to the official website of the competition:

https://www.cnmaker.org.cn/ds/detail/fe4656c447a748d0866fbc14ffa81fef.html Unified registration requires the submission of complete application materials, with applicants bearing responsibility for the accuracy and authenticity of the information provided. The executing entity will conduct eligibility reviews of the registered projects; those meeting the competition’s eligibility criteria will advance to the preliminary round. Any deliberate concealment or falsification of materials will result in disqualification.

【Official Registration QR Code】

【Registration Consultation QR Code】

Phone Consultation: 177 2765 2267

Organizer:

Cybersecurity Industry Development Center of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (Information Center of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology)

Guangdong Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology

Supporting Organizations:

Guangzhou Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology

Nansha District People's Government of Guangzhou City

Organizer:

Guangdong Dazhihui Holding Group Co., Ltd.

Bio-Island Industry Incubation Services (Guangdong) Co., Ltd.

Note: No fees will be charged to participants for the competition. Unregistered applicants are not permitted to participate.